Coptodon Zillii (Redbelly Tilapia) Ecological Risk Screening Summary
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Redbelly Tilapia (Coptodon zillii) Ecological Risk Screening Summary U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, May 2019 Revised, September 2019 Web Version, 11/18/2019 Photo: J. Hoover, Waterways Experiment Station, U.S. Army Corp of Engineers. Public domain. Available: https://nas.er.usgs.gov/queries/factsheet.aspx?SpeciesID=485. (May 2019). 1 Native Range and Status in the United States Native Range From Froese and Pauly (2019a): “Africa and Eurasia: South Morocco, Sahara, Niger-Benue system, rivers Senegal, Sassandra, Bandama, Boubo, Mé, Comoé, Bia, Ogun and Oshun, Volta system, Chad-Shari system [Teugels and Thys van den Audenaerde 1991], middle Congo River basin in the Ubangi, Uele [Thys van den Audenaerde 1964], Itimbiri, Aruwimi [Thys van den Audenaerde 1964; Decru 2015], Lindi- 1 Tshopo [Decru 2015] and Wagenia Falls [Moelants 2015] in Democratic Republic of the Congo, Lakes Albert [Thys van den Audenaerde 1964] and Turkana, Nile system and Jordan system [Teugels and Thys van den Audenaerde 1991].” Froese and Pauly (2019a) list the following countries as part of the native range of Coptodon zillii: Algeria, Benin, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Egypt, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Israel, Ivory Coast, Jordan, Kenya, Lebanon, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Sudan, Togo, Tunisia, Uganda, and Western Sahara. Status in the United States From NatureServe (2019): “Introduced and established in ponds and other waters in Maricopa County, Arizona; irrigation canals in Coachella, Imperial, and Palo Verde valleys, California; and headwater springs of San Antonio River, Bexar County, Texas; common (Page and Burr 1991). Established also in the Carolinas, Hawaii, and possibly in Florida and Nevada (Robins et al. 1991).” From Nico et al. (2019): “Established or locally established in southern Arizona and California, Hawaii, North and South Carolina, and Texas; reported from several other states. Considered eradicated from all sites in Florida (Smith-Vaniz, personal communication) and Nevada (Courtenay et al. 1984, 1986). In California, Oreochromis mossambicus has largely replaced T. zillii in the Salton Sea (and possibly in coastal southern California) (Swift et al. 1993).” “Populations introduced into Alabama normally did not survive the winter and required annual restocking (Smith-Vaniz 1968). However, their tolerance to cold temperatures in central California prompted officials to place the species on the prohibited list for portions of the state (Shapovalov et al. 1981).” Very little information is available about current use of C. zillii in the United States. It does not appear to be common in aquaculture and is not available from major online aquarium and aquaponics retailers. From Chapman (2018): “In the United States, commercial culture of tilapia is concentrated in Arizona, California, and Florida. It is not clear, however, what species of tilapia are under cultivation. A collection of hybrid stocks currently constitute the bulk of the commercial production. The hybrids under cultivation are female mouth-brooders and believed to have originated from genetic crosses of predominantly blue tilapia (O. aureus) and ancillary O. niloticus, O. mossambicus, and O. hornorum species. Some evidence of genes from T. rendalli and S. melanotheron are also apparent.” 2 Most States regulate aquaculture species or facilities. The following information on State regulations is not exhaustive, and focuses on regulations that broadly prohibit importation, transport, or possession of C. zillii or the genus or family to which it belongs. Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (2019) lists “Tilapia [now Coptodon] zillii (Redbelly tilapia)” as a Prohibited Nonnative Species. From Texas Parks and Wildlife (1999): “The organisms listed here are legally classified as exotic, harmful, or potentially harmful. No person may possess or place them into water of this state except as authorized by the department [that is, Texas Parks and Wildlife].” “Tilapia, Family Cichlidae All species of genera Tilapia, Oreochromis and Sarotherodon Examples: Tilapia [now Coptodon] zillii (Redbelly tilapia), […]” “Note: Reclassification of a species does not remove the species from the prohibited list.” From Aquatic Network (2019): “No tilapia farming, or finfish farming at all is allowed in Alaska.” “Currently, tilapia zilli, tilapia hornorum, and mossambica are the only species of tilapia allowed to be cultured in California and they are allowed only in the following counties: Riverside, Los Angeles, Orange, San Bernardino, San Diego, and Imperial. Please note that you must first obtain a Restricted Species Permit to possess, import, and transport tilapia [now Coptodon] zilli [sic].” “According to the Illinois Department of Natural Resources: ‘It is unlawful for any person(s) to stock Tilapia species in Illinois waters. Tilapia are not on the Aquatic Life Approved Species List, but are allowed for aquaculture with an Aquaculture Permit and a Letter of Authorization to possess Tilapia. Aquatic Life Dealers may keep live Tilapia for sale at a market so long as all fish are dead upon sale.’” “Tilapia are a restricted species in Nevada and can only be possessed alive in the state for purposes of commercial aquaculture, or certain other purposes. This requires a Commercial Possession of Live Wildlife License from the Department of Wildlife. Private possession of live tilapia for home or personal use is prohibited.” “The Utah Division of Wildlife Resources (UDWR) has jurisdiction over the species of game fish one may possess in Utah. In other words, the UDWR must approve any species of game fish that a private operator may possess in Utah. Their ‘Collection, Importation and Possession of Zoological Animals’ regulation has classified Tilapia as a nuisance species and it does not allow importation or possession of the species in Utah.” 3 Means of Introductions in the United States From Nico et al. (2019): “Introduced in most locations by state agencies, universities, or private companies for control of aquatic plants, to control mosquitoes and chironomid midges, as forage or food fish, and for aquaculture evaluation (Minckley 1973; Legner and Pelsue 1977; Lee et al. 1980 et seq.; Shapovalov et al. 1981; Grabowski et al. 1984; McGowan 1988; Courtenay and Robins 1989; Page and Burr 1991). For example, the species has been stocked into various North Carolina waters for aquatic plant control by Texas Gulf, Inc., and also by Carolina Power and Light Company (Courtenay et al. 1986; J. Crutchfield, personal communication). There have been both authorized as well as illegal releases. Introductions into Dade County, Florida, probably resulted from escapes from nearby fish farms or aquarium releases (Hogg 1976a, b). Redbelly tilapia and blue tilapia were inadvertently introduced into Hyco Reservoir in North Carolina in 1984 after a small number of fish escaped from a holding cage located in the heated discharge area during an on-site agricultural study (Crutchfield 1995).” Remarks A previous version of this ERSS was finalized in 2014 under the name Tilapia zillii. Because the name T. zillii is still commonly used in literature, it was also used when researching in preparation of this report. From CABI (2019): “Tilapia zillii was first described by Gervais in 1848 and was given many synonyms throughout the nineteenth and twentieth century. Some sources recognize Coptodon zillii as the accepted name for the species following a molecular phylogenetic study by Dunz and Schliewen (2013).” From GISD (2019): “It seems to be a common mistake to omit one of the i's at the end of the word zillii, often incorrectly being spelled T. zilli.” 2 Biology and Ecology Taxonomic Hierarchy and Taxonomic Standing From Froese and Pauly (2019b): “Biota > Animalia (Kingdom) > Chordata (Phylum) > Vertebrata (Subphylum) > Gnathostomata (Superclass) > Pisces (Superclass) > Actinopterygii (Class) > Perciformes (Order) > Labroidei (Suborder) > Cichlidae (Family) > Pseudocrenilabrinae (Subfamily) > Coptodon (Genus) > Coptodon zillii (Species)” From Fricke et al. (2019): “Current status: Valid as Coptodon zillii (Gervais 1848). Cichlidae: Pseudocrenilabrinae.” 4 Size, Weight, and Age Range From Froese and Pauly (2019a): “Maturity: Lm 7.0, range 20 - ? cm Max length : 40.0 cm SL male/unsexed; [van Oijen 1995]; common length : 30.0 cm SL male/unsexed; [van Oijen 1995]; max. published weight: 300.00 g [Ita 1984]; max. reported age: 7 years [Noakes and Balon 1982]” Environment From Froese and Pauly (2019a): “Freshwater; brackish; benthopelagic; pH range: 6.0 - 9.0; dH range: 5 - 20; potamodromous [Riede 2004]; depth range 1 - 7 m [Eccles 1992].” “Highly adaptable and tolerates varying water qualities [Lamboj 2004]; they are tolerant of a wide range of temperatures and salinities [Genner et al. 2018], even surviving marine conditions [Lamboj 2004]. Extended temperature range 6.5 - 42.5 °C, natural temperature range 10.5 - 36°C [Philippart and Ruwet 1982].” From GISD (2019): “While temperatures between 20 to 32 degrees Celsius are optimal for T. zillii, it can tolerate temperatures between 11 to 36 degrees Celsius, becoming lethargic and vulnerable to predators and disease below 16 degrees Celsius. Mostly occurring in fresh water, T. zillii are often found in brackish waters and has occasionally been reported to be found in marine waters; tolerating salinity levels of up to 29-45 ppt (Costa-Pierce, 2003; FishBase, 2008; GSMFC, 2005).”